1922-02-17 Jack Britton drew 15 Dave Shade, Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA - WORLD. Referee: Patsy Haley. A championship contest at 147lbs saw Britton (146½) appear to win handily despite being handed a draw by the judges. Moving around Shade (144½) like a master with his pupil, Britton made the youngster miss constantly. While the champion was occasionally hurt, the inexperienced 19-year-old Shade was unable to sustain the pressure before the skilful Britton quickly got back in to the groove, the left hand regularly finding the target. Although the majority of fans believed the older man to have won, there was much to admire in Shade, the youngest of three fighting brothers from California, and he was soon mixing with the division’s leading fighters.

Despite being billed as title bouts, Britton’s next three contests, against Cowboy Padgett, Morris Lux and Ray Long, were made at 150, 148 and 148lbs respectively, and were all no-decision affairs. Padgett was adjudged to have been outpointed over ten rounds at the Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska on 5 May, while Lux was knocked out inside five rounds at McNulty Park, Tulsa, Oklahoma on 16 May, and Long was seen to have drawn their 12 rounder at the Coliseum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on 26 May.